Has the Fourth Prince already returned to the manor?
Didn't they say that the Fourth Prince went to the palace first? I just guessed that when he went to the palace, the Fourth Prince had already heard from the Empress about the First Prince's drowning.
Although this matter had nothing to do with the Fujin, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy, afraid of facing the Fourth Prince's questioning and afraid that her already thin relationship with him would become even weaker.
It was only at this point that the princess realized that she was still afraid.
The princess clutched her chest, barely managing to compose herself: "Fourth Master has returned to the front courtyard?"
Yu Ru shook her head: "The gatekeeper only said that Fourth Master has returned, but he doesn't know whether he went to the front yard or somewhere else."
The princess cursed him as useless, paced back and forth in the inner room, and finally decided to remain still: "Let's go to the South Courtyard first."
Yu Ru quickly stepped forward to support the Fujin, her voice not quite steady: "This servant is helping you."
The princess hummed in agreement and slowly walked towards the brightly lit outer room, the deathly silence and darkness behind her eventually receding into the distance.
As soon as the Fujin came out, she gave a blank look and ordered that they go to the South Courtyard to see Wu Gege. Li Chenjiao stood up and did not say much, but followed behind the Fujin, her gaze almost spying on the Fujin's back.
That was just a four-year-old child, that was a life! Li Chenjiao stared at the Fujin's back, her eyes stinging when she looked away.
She wasn't a saint; only when the knife falls on her own body can she truly feel the pain. But as a parent, the thought of a perfectly healthy child drowning in the water was unbearable...
The weather in October must have been so cold, my lord...
Li Chenjiao couldn't shed a tear; all she felt was hatred. No matter who was behind this cruel act, she felt immense resentment.
It is utterly shameless to harm a four-year-old child for one's own selfish desires.
Today he is the eldest prince, but who knows if he won't be someone else tomorrow?
The moonlight was not very bright tonight. Even with Granny Lin carrying a lantern by her side, Li Chenjiao still seemed to have some difficulty seeing the path beneath her feet.
As we approached the South Campus, we couldn't see a single ray of light in the distance.
The princess waved to Wang Jinzhong and said, "Light the lamp."
Wang Jinzhong jogged over, and soon he could finally see the light in the south courtyard.
However, upon entering the South Courtyard, the group was immediately struck by a deathly silence. Dusk had fallen, and everything was pitch black and invisible.
The princess frowned, her expression not too pleasant: "Didn't I tell you to light the candles?"
Wang Jinzhong, who had been glared at, felt wronged. He had come in to personally watch the servants in the courtyard light the candles under the eaves one by one, but he didn't know why the candles had suddenly gone out in such a short time.
At this moment, only the hexagonal lanterns carried by a few servants provided some light, and a cool breeze seemed to carry in a low sobbing sound.
Li Chenjiao was not afraid, Bai Jia was not very afraid, Niu Hulu was even less afraid, and the Fujin naturally showed no fear either.
However, the servants below were afraid.
Perhaps because of the incident involving the eldest prince, the Fujin (principal wife) no longer sees Wu as a thorn in her side; instead, she feels somewhat sorry for her.
Without children, what tricks could Wu Shi possibly come up with?
The Princess Consort waved her hand again: "Aren't you going to get some candles? This Wu clan... even if she misses the First Prince, she can't act so recklessly... she's simply lawless."
No one responded to the princess's words.
Li Chenjiao's face was half-hidden in the darkness; she rarely set foot in any courtyard other than the main courtyard.
After all, their relationship wasn't exactly very close.
She had never been to the South Courtyard before, and was unfamiliar with its layout. In the semi-darkness, she simply looked silently at her surroundings.
After a short while, the south courtyard finally lit up again, and a little girl finally ran out from the inner room.
"Greetings to the Fujin, Consort Li, and the two princesses. This way." The maidservant bowed and led the way after the Fujin waved for him to remove his formalities.
There are a few wooden steps leading from the veranda into the inner room.
People climbed the steps slowly, one by one, but even so, the wooden steps still made a slight creaking sound.
Such a sound echoed in my ears, sending chills down my spine.
Bai Jiashi walked up to Li Chenjiao's side without her noticing, her lips pressed tightly together, still feeling uneasy about the strange atmosphere.
The little girl pushed open the door, and from the outside, she could see that the inside was lit.
The princess touched the tip of her nose with her handkerchief, a clear look of disgust flashing in her eyes.
As soon as everyone entered, they looked around the layout of the room and realized that this was not Wu's room, but rather the study of the eldest prince. The antique shelves on the side were filled with all sorts of things that children would like and some primers.
Not far from the outer room, a candle was lit on a small table on the daybed. The red candle wax had piled up in several layers and was almost burned out, but the few remaining candles still stubbornly flickered with tiny flames.
Li Chenjiao looked at Wu Shi's slender figure illuminated by the candlelight.
Yes, it was just a silhouette. Because Li Chenjiao couldn't see Wu's face clearly, she couldn't tell whether Wu had her back turned or was facing forward with her knees drawn up and her face covered.
Yu Ru stepped forward and spoke first: "Princess Wu, the First Lady and the Second Lady have both arrived, so even if we are sad..."
The Princess Consort waved her hand again, showing great compassion: "Yu Ru! It's understandable that Princess Wu is overwhelmed with grief and unable to pull herself out of it for a while. I won't blame her for that."
Upon hearing this, Yu Ru naturally offered a compliment: "The Princess Consort is virtuous."
Wu Shi, sitting listlessly on the Luohan bed, seemed to have heard it, but she didn't move. Her face, buried in her knees, twitched slightly, and her teeth clenched tightly. Her eyes just rolled around lifelessly.
To onlookers from a distance, he looked no different from a living dead.
Bai Jia hugged her arms and couldn't help but shudder.
The Princess Consort lowered her hand: "Madam Wu, the Golden Banquet Festival is in a few days. The eldest prince's funeral cannot be delayed like this. Now that the master has returned to the manor, I have had the coffin prepared as quickly as possible. The eldest prince cannot stay here with you any longer."
After the First Prince's accident last night, Wu Shi went crazy. Anyone who dared to get close to the First Prince would be attacked by her like a demon, baring her teeth and claws as if she were covered in thorns.
In the end, the Fujin simply granted her wish, leaving the eldest prince in the South Courtyard, which could be considered as giving Wu Shi one last bit of hope.
Fearing that Wu might do something, the eldest prince was placed in a side room, personally guarded by Granny Qian, who served the Fujin, and Granny Yun from the front courtyard.
The Wu family finally made a move.
She raised her eyes, her hair so disheveled that it was hard to believe that this was the dignified Wu Shi of the day.
Wu's eyes were dark: "I want to see the master."
Her voice was completely hoarse, as if she hadn't had a sip of water in a long time.
The princess met her gaze, and she gave a slight twitch of her lips.
His eyes always held that same compassion.
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